Battleship Torpedo Blister

From Wikipedia.

In the last entry, I wrote how Paul Goodyear had climbed out of the horrible waters of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and stood on the battleship USS Maryland's torpedo blister. This was not a term I was familiar with, so had to look it up (I couldn't find anything about a battleship's roll over bar, however.) however.)

Listed as an Anti-Torpedo Bulge, but also called an anti-torpedo blister, it is a passive defense against naval torpedoes used in battleship construction between the two world wars.

Essentially, it is an isolated compartment from the internal hull. Part of it is air-filled and free-floating. It is supposed to dissipate shock and absorb explosive fragments, leaving the ship's internal hull undamaged.

It was developed by the British and used during World War I. The HMS Grafton was torpedoed in 1917 and suffered only minor splinter holes, proving it a success. American naval architects adapted the design into their battleships as well.

It became obsolete when modern torpedoes were designed to explode under ship hulls.

Fish In the Water. --GreGen